Credit: MECO

On Friday 10 June  2022, during a press briefing organised at the premises of the Kirchberg Fund, Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot, announced the outcome of the jury's deliberations relating to the construction of the Luxembourg pavilion in the next Universal Exhibition in Japan in 2025, in the presence the president of the jury, Mathias Fritsch, architect-partner at Beiler François Fritsch, and Arnaud De Meyer, urban architect and partner of the SteinmetzDeMeyer office.

André Hansen, Commissioner General at the Luxembourg pavilion in Osaka, and Carlo Thelen, Director General of the Chamber of Commerce, were also present as representatives of the future GIE Luxembourg@Expo2025Osaka.

Scheduled from 13 April to 13 October 2025, the 2025 Osaka World Expo will be held on the artificial island of Yumeshima, located on the Osaka waterfront and will be themed “Designing the society of the future, imagining our life as tomorrow". Some 150 countries and international organisations are expected to attend.

As part of the call for projects relating to the design of the Luxembourg pavilion, twelve projects were submitted. At the end of the deliberations, it was the concept developed by the architectural firm SteinmetzDeMeyer, in collaboration with the scenographer Jangled Nerves, which was finally retained by the jury, because this project fully meets the requirements set out in the specifications in terms of use of circularity of materials, sustainability and respect for resources.

Minister Fayot said: “The circularity of the materials used for the construction of the pavilion, the respect for natural resources and the sustainability of the project submitted were decisive in choosing the winner of the call for projects. It was crucial for us to be able to build a pavilion in a circular way, with materials that can be reused after the exhibition and this project fully meets our expectations. It will highlight Luxembourg's know-how in the field of the circular economy and in particular within the framework of the Product Circularity Data Sheet (PCDS)".

The Pavilion

Following additional explanations on the work of the jury, provided by the president of the jury, Mathias Fritsch, Arnaud De Meyer, urban architect and partner of the SteinmetzDeMeyer office, took the floor to present his project in detail.

The pavilion was designed around the concept “Doki-Doki Lux – The Luxembourg Multiverse”. The architect explained this choice: “In Japan, 'doki-doki' describes the sound the heart makes when it beats. It is used to express enthusiasm and excitement, as well as energy and passion. Luxembourg's 'Multiverse' is global. It is universal and unique, individual and collective, unlimited and connected, open and united. All facets of the Luxembourg 'Multiverse' are created and nourished by three sources: its inventiveness, its people and its territory. And it's still doki-doki – exciting, vibrant and alive!

In terms of scenography, three different exhibition halls will be offered:

  • An “interactive space”, called “Luxembourg World Lab” in which the visitor will come into contact with the Luxembourg way of approaching the future and will be able to experiment with creative solutions while becoming aware of the environmental impact and its actions;
  • A “space for communication and convivial dialogue between humans” in which visitors will learn more about the inhabitants of Luxembourg through physical or virtual images;
  • An "immersive space" which will consist of a 360° experience where the visitor will immerse himself, thanks to video projections, in the Luxembourg landscape.

The documents relating to the call for projects are available online via: Winning project Doki-Doki Lux − The Luxembourg Multiverse.

After the presentation of the project, Director Thelen, reiterated the reasons for the active involvement of the Chamber of Commerce in the context of Luxembourg's participation in the Universal Exhibition in Osaka. As a partner within the GIE, the Chamber of Commerce undertakes to pay a contribution of €3 million (€2.35 million in cash and €650,000 in industrial support) to the capital of the GIE.

Commissioner Hansen then listed the next important deadlines in the context of the progress of the project. The next key step will take place next week, with the official creation of the GIE Luxembourg@Expo2025Osaka, which will assume the role of project owner for the construction of the pavilion. An estimated budget of €12 million to €32 million has been granted for the construction of the Luxembourg pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka.

In addition, from 10 June and until 24 June 2022, inclusive, the twelve projects submitted to the call for projects will be exhibited at the Kirchberg Fund. The general public can thus come and discover all the projects, from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 15:00.